In a series of tweets, Twitter's policy division defended itself and said it would update its rules to include newsworthiness.

"We hold all accounts to the same rules, and consider a number of factors when assessing whether Tweets violate our rules," it said. "Among the considerations is 'newsworthiness' and whether a tweet is of public interest. This has long been internal policy and we'll soon update our public-facing rules to reflect it."

We hold all accounts to the same Rules, and consider a number of factors when assessing whether Tweets violate our Rules 2/6